Friday 7 December 2012

Jace

Jace BelerenJace, Memory AdeptJace, the Mind SculptorJace, Architect of Thought
Ah yes, Jace. Often referred to "Jace Christ", Jace seems to be the go-to guy whenever Wizards needs to sell packs without adding too many unexplained dragons. 

Jace Beleren aka "Baby Jace"
This is probably the only Jace you actually want to see on the battlefield because of his +2 ability. I have personally never seen his -10 go off simply because players only really use his -1 and then his +2 to recover. Even if it did go off, it's not that overpowered.

Pros: Not a threat
Cons: Gives opponents card advantage
Rating: 3/5

Jace, Memory Adept aka "Teenage Jace"
Easily the most broken Jace in limited, this version pretty much has one ability: the 0 one. The +1 is nice, but by the turn he comes out, the mill is probably want you're going to want to use. The -7 isn't bad either, it's just that I've never seen it used. Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind decks love this guy.

Pros: Super-powered 0 ability, broken in limited
Cons: Really high cost
Rating: 3/5

Jace, the Mind Sculptor aka "Money Sculptor" or "Papa Jace"
Where do I even start with this card? Despite being banned in Modern and Extended, this guy still goes for a ton of cash ($100 as of writing). Why? Not so much that he gives card advantage (although he does that is spades) it's more of the card controlBrainstorm every turn gives you a lot of power over what is in your hand, the Boomerang lets you control the board, the Fateseal controls your opponent's deck (or your own), and the ult just wins you the game.

Pros: Over-powered, controls everything
Cons: Banned, physically expensive
Rating: 5/5

Jace, Architect of Thought aka "Midlife Crisis Jace"
I'm still not sure what to think of this guy. I still think his +1 is terrible (really, it's just Cumber Stone) and you'll never get his ult off since it takes a minimum 4 turns to get up there. While the other Jaces do take some time to get up there (4, 3, and 5 turns respectively), at least their ults are worth it at that time. By turn 8, your opponent has either won the game or at least has all of their bombs on the table. The other Jaces force your opponents to draw out whereas this Jace just takes one card out (albeit a big one).  I view this card as mini-Fact or Fiction twice, maybe more if your opponent has no creatures or direct damage spells. This card's design is really evident of the negative reaction of the players towards the last Jace.

Pros: 2 Fact or Fictions
Cons: Worthless +1
Rating: 2/5

This was fun! Coming this month: the rest of the planeswalkers. And yes, I'll be giving them all alternate names. Deal with it.

1 comment:

  1. Ta mate, the Milling Jace is too slow for a proper Niv-Mizzet EDH.
    He's more suited to a Dimir role.

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